Touch display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A touch display apparatus including a base substrate, a sensing electrode, a first connection wiring, a second connection wiring, a first touch detector and a second touch detector. The sensing electrode is disposed on the base substrate. The first connection wiring is electrically connected to the sensing electrode. The second connection wiring is electrically connected to the sensing electrode. The first touch detector is electrically connected to the first connection wiring and configured to detect a touch event for the sensing electrode. The second touch detector is electrically connected to the second connection wiring and configured to detect the touch event.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/391,510, filed on Dec. 27, 2016, which claims priority from and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0187893, filed on Dec.28, 2015, which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes asif fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to display apparatuses, and moreparticularly, to touch display apparatuses and methods of manufacturingthe touch display apparatuses.

Discussion of the Background

As demands on various types of display devices have increased with thedevelopment of an information society, research has been conductedregarding display devices, such as liquid crystal display devices,plasma display panels, field emission display devices, electrophoreticdisplay devices, organic light emitting display devices, and the like.

These studies have given rise to an ability to apply a touch function tosuch display devices via a touch screen panel. A touch screen panel isan input device that enables a command to be input by touching (oralmost touching) a screen of a display device using an object, such as afinger, a pen, etc. In this manner, a touch screen panel can serve as asubstitute for a separate input device connected to a display device,such as a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

Touch screen panels may be resistive overlay touch screen panels,photosensitive touch screen panels, capacitive touch screen panels, andthe like. Among the various types of touch screen panels, capacitivetouch screen panels are configured to convert information regarding aposition(s) of a touch interaction into an electrical signal by sensinga change in capacitance formed between a conductive sensing pattern andan adjacent sensing pattern, ground electrode, or the like, when anobject, such as a user appendage, pen, etc., comes in contact with (oralmost contacts, e.g., hovers above) the touch screen panel.

Touch electrodes included in a touch screen panel have a single-layeredstructure or a multi-layered structure (e.g., a double-layeredstructure). Touch electrodes having a single-layered structure includessensing pads and signal wirings electrically connected to the sensingpads. If the signal wirings are arranged with a high degree ofintegration, defects (e.g., opened-line defects) may occur in the signalwirings.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forenhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept,and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the priorart that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skillin the art.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments provide a touch display apparatus having improvedperformance.

Exemplary embodiments provide a method of manufacturing the touchdisplay apparatus.

Additional aspects will be set forth in the detailed description whichfollows, and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may belearned by practice of the inventive concept.

An exemplary embodiment discloses a touch display apparatus including abase substrate, a sensing electrode, a first connection wiring, a secondconnection wiring, a first touch detector and a second touch detector.The sensing electrode is disposed on the base substrate. The firstconnection wiring is electrically connected to the sensing electrode.The second connection wiring is electrically connected to the sensingelectrode. The first touch detector is electrically connected to thefirst connection wiring and configured to detect a touch event for thesensing electrode. The second touch detector is electrically connectedto the second connection wiring and configured to detect the touchevent.

An exemplary embodiment also discloses a touch display apparatusincluding a base substrate, a plurality of sensing electrodes, aplurality of connection wirings, and a touch detector. The sensingelectrodes are disposed on the base substrate and are arranged in afirst direction. The connection wirings extend in the first direction.Each of the connection wirings is electrically connected to a respectiveone of the plurality of sensing electrodes. The touch detector iselectrically connected to the connection wirings and configured todetect a touch event for the plurality of sensing electrodes. Thesensing electrodes are divided into a plurality of electrode groups,each of which includes at least one of the sensing electrodes.Connection wirings connected to odd-numbered electrode groups arelocated at a first side of the sensing electrodes, and connectionwirings connected to even-numbered electrode groups are located at asecond side of the sensing electrodes.

An exemplary embodiment also discloses a method of manufacturing a touchdisplay apparatus in which a sensing electrode, a first connectionwiring and a second connection wiring are formed on a base substrate.The first connection wiring is electrically connected to the sensingelectrode, and the second connection wiring is electrically connected tothe sensing electrode. A first touch detector electrically connected tothe first connection wiring and a second touch detector electricallyconnected to the second connection wiring are formed. The first andsecond touch detectors are configured to detect a touch event for thesensing electrode. An insulation layer is formed on the base substrateon which the sensing electrode, the first connection wiring and thesecond connection wiring are formed.

In a touch display apparatus according to exemplary embodiments, a firstconnection wiring, a second connection wiring, a first touch detector,and a second touch detector may be connected to a single sensingelectrode. The second connection wiring and the second touch detectormay be auxiliary elements and may operate only when at least one of thefirst connection wiring and the first touch detector has a defect.Accordingly, a malfunction of the touch display apparatus may beprevented, and the touch display apparatus may have relatively improvedperformance.

In addition, in a touch display apparatus according to exemplaryembodiments, a plurality of sensing electrodes may be arranged in amatrix form, and sensing electrodes disposed in the same column may bealternately connected to first connection wirings at a first side withrespect to the column and second connection wirings at a second sidewith respect to the column, by a unit of at least one sensing electrode.Accordingly, a plurality of connection wirings may be arranged with arelatively low degree of integration, defects on the plurality ofconnection wirings may be prevented, and thus, the touch displayapparatus may have improved performance.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed descriptionare exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the inventive concept, and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concept, and, together with thedescription, serve to explain principles of the inventive concept.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a driving circuit included in atouch display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the touch display apparatus takenalong line I-I′ of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are cross-sectional views for describing a method ofmanufacturing a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a driving circuit included in atouch display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the touch display apparatus takenalong line II-II′ of FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are cross-sectional views for describing a method ofmanufacturing a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however,that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplaryembodiments.

In the accompanying figures, the size and relative sizes of layers,films, panels, regions, etc., may be exaggerated for clarity anddescriptive purposes. Also, like reference numerals denote likeelements.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,”or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on,connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer or interveningelements or layers may be present. When, however, an element or layer isreferred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no interveningelements or layers present. For the purposes of this disclosure, “atleast one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one selected from the groupconsisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only,or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance,XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, theseelements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not belimited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element,component, region, layer, and/or section from another element,component, region, layer, and/or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer, and/or section discussed below could be termeda second element, component, region, layer, and/or section withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and,thereby, to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the drawings. Spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of anapparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to theorientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the apparatus inthe drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompassboth an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, the apparatus maybe otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptors usedherein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according toexemplary embodiments. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a drivingcircuit included in a touch display apparatus according to exemplaryembodiments. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the touch displayapparatus taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a touch display apparatus according toan exemplary embodiment includes a touch sensing unit 100 and a drivingcircuit 200.

The touch sensing unit 100 includes a base substrate 110, a plurality ofsensing electrodes 120, a plurality of first connection wirings 121, anda plurality of second connection wirings 123.

The base substrate 110 may include a transparent inorganic material or aflexible plastic. For example, the base substrate 110 may include aglass substrate, a quartz substrate, a transparent resin substrateincluding transparent resin, or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, a polyimide substrate may be an example ofthe transparent resin substrate that is used as the base substrate 110.For example, the polyimide substrate may include a first polyimidelayer, a barrier film layer, and a second polyimide layer that aresequentially stacked.

The sensing electrodes 120 may include a transparent conductivematerial. For example, the sensing electrodes 120 may include indium tinoxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. In another example,the sensing electrodes 120 may include titanium (Ti), molybdenumtitanium (MoTi), or the like.

The sensing electrodes 120 are disposed on the base substrate 110. Thesensing electrodes 120 may be arranged in a matrix form, and may have asingle-layered structure. In other words, the sensing electrodes 120 maybe arranged in rows (e.g., in a first direction D1) and columns (e.g.,in a second direction D2), and may be disposed on or formed in a singlelayer.

In an exemplary embodiment, each sensing electrode 120 may have arectangular shape. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each sensing electrode 120 may have one of various shapes,e.g., polygonal, circular, etc.

The first connection wirings 121 are electrically connected to thesensing electrodes 120. Each of the first connection wirings 121 may beelectrically connected to one side (e.g., a left side or a top side) ofa respective one of the sensing electrodes 120. Some portions of eachfirst connection wiring 121 may extend in the first direction D1, andthe other portions of each first connection wiring 121 may extend in thesecond direction D2 crossing (e.g., substantially perpendicular to) thefirst direction D1. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each first connection wiring 121 may extend in anydirection.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wirings 121 may includethe same material as that of the sensing electrodes 120. For example,the first connection wirings 121 may include a transparent conductivematerial, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), orthe like. In another example, the first connection wirings 121 mayinclude titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wirings 121 may includea material different from that of the sensing electrodes 120. Forexample, the first connection wirings 121 may include a relativelylow-resistance metallic material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag),titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wirings 121 may bedisposed on the same layer as that on which the sensing electrodes 120are disposed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto,and the first connection wirings 121 may be disposed on a layerdifferent from that on which the sensing electrodes 120 are disposed.

The first connection wirings 121 are electrically connected to a firsttouch detector 211.

The second connection wirings 123 are electrically connected to theplurality of sensing electrodes 120. Each of the second connectionwirings 123 may be electrically connected to another side (e.g., a rightside or a bottom side), which is different from the one side connectedto the first connection wiring 121, of a respective one of the sensingelectrodes 120. Some portions of each second connection wiring 123 mayextend in the first direction D1, and the other portions of each secondconnection wiring 123 may extend in the second direction D2. However,the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and each secondconnection wiring 123 may extend in any direction.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second connection wirings 123 mayinclude the same material as that of the sensing electrodes 120. Forexample, the second connection wirings 123 may include a transparentconductive material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide(IZO), or the like. In another example, the second connection wirings123 may include titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second connection wirings 123 mayinclude a material different from that of the sensing electrodes 120.For example, the second connection wirings 123 may include a relativelylow-resistance metallic material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag),titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second connection wirings 123 may bedisposed on the same layer as that on which the sensing electrodes 120are disposed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto,and the second connection wirings 123 may be disposed on a layerdifferent from that on which the sensing electrodes 120 are disposed.

The second connection wirings 123 may be electrically connected to asecond touch detector 213.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, two connection wirings areelectrically connected to one sensing electrode 120. Such two connectionwirings may include a single first connection wiring 121 and a singlesecond connection wiring 123. Such a single first connection wiring 121is electrically connected to the first touch detector 211, and such asingle second connection wiring 123 is electrically connected to thesecond touch detector 213.

The second connection wiring 123 and the second touch detector 213 mayoperate only when there is a defect in at least one of the firstconnection wiring 121 and the first touch detector 211. For example,when a portion of the first connection wiring 121 is cut down or opened,and/or when the first touch detector 211 has a breakdown or amalfunction, the second connection wiring 123 and the second touchdetector 213 may operate. When both the first connection wiring 121 andthe first touch detector 211 are free of defects, the second connectionwiring 123 and the second touch detector 213 may not operate. Since thesecond connection wiring 123 and the second touch detector 213 operateas an auxiliary wiring and an auxiliary detector, a malfunction of thetouch display apparatus according to exemplary embodiments may beprevented, and the touch display apparatus according to exemplaryembodiments may have relatively improved performance and low powerconsumption.

An insulation layer 130 may be disposed on the base substrate 110 onwhich the sensing electrode 120, the first connection wiring 121, andthe second connection wiring 123 are disposed.

The insulation layer 130 may cover the sensing electrode 120, the firstconnection wiring 121, and the second connection wiring 123. In otherwords, the sensing electrode 120, the first connection wiring 121, andthe second connection wiring 123 may not be exposed and may be insulatedby the insulation layer 130. The insulation layer 130 may prevent thesensing electrode 120, the first connection wiring 121, and the secondconnection wiring 123 from damaging or corroding.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 130 may include aninorganic insulating material. For example, the insulation layer 130 mayinclude silicon oxide (SiO_(x)), silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), or the like.For example, the insulation layer 130 may include silicon oxide(SiO_(x)) and may have a thickness of about 500 Å. In addition, theinsulation layer 130 may include a plurality of layers, each of whichincludes a material different from that of the other layers.

The driving circuit 200 may include the first touch detector 211, thesecond touch detector 213, a touch information generator 220, a memory230, and a controller 240.

The first touch detector 211 and the second touch detector 213 maydetect a touch event for the sensing electrode 120 (e.g., detect whetherthe touch sensing unit 100 is contacted by a contact object, such as auser's finger, stylus pen, etc.) based on a change in capacitance causedby the touch event. The second touch detector 213 may operate as anauxiliary detector. In other words, the second touch detector 213 mayoperate only when the first touch detector 211 has a defect.

The touch information generator 220 may generate information associatedwith the touch event for the sensing electrode 120. The touchinformation generator 220 may process, handle or treat informationstored in the memory 230 to generate desired information including atouch detection, a touch region, a touch location, etc.

The memory 230 may store the information provided from the touchinformation generator 220. The memory 230 may store information providedfrom the first touch detector 211 and the second touch detector 213. Inaddition, the memory 230 may store predetermined data for calculatingthe touch detection, the touch region, the touch location, etc., or datareceived in real-time.

The controller 240 may control the first touch detector 211, the secondtouch detector 213, and the touch information generator 220. Forexample, the controller 240 may include a micro control unit (MCU) andmay perform predetermined signal processing based on firmware.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views for describing a method ofmanufacturing a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, a sensing electrode layer 120 a is formed on a basesubstrate 110.

In an exemplary embodiment, the sensing electrode layer 120 a mayinclude a transparent conductive material. For example, the sensingelectrode layer 120 a may include indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zincoxide (IZO), or the like. In another example, the sensing electrodelayer 120 a may include titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), orthe like.

Referring to FIG. 5, a sensing electrode 120, a first connection wiring121, and a second connection wiring 123 are formed by patterning thesensing electrode layer 120 a.

The sensing electrode 120 may include a transparent conductive material.For example, the sensing electrode 120 may include indium tin oxide(ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. In another example, thesensing electrode 120 may include titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium(MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wiring 121 may includethe same material as that of the sensing electrode 120. For example, thefirst connection wiring 121 may include a transparent conductivematerial, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), orthe like. In another example, the first connection wiring 121 mayinclude titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wiring 121 may bedisposed on the same layer as that on which the sensing electrode 120 isdisposed.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second connection wiring 123 may includethe same material as that of the sensing electrode 120. For example, thesecond connection wiring 123 may include a transparent conductivematerial, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), orthe like. In another example, the second connection wiring 123 mayinclude titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second connection wiring 123 may bedisposed on the same layer as that on which the sensing electrode 120 isdisposed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a first touch detector 211 and a second touchdetector 213 may be formed. The first touch detector 211 may beelectrically connected to the first connection wiring 121. The secondtouch detector 213 may be electrically connected to the secondconnection wiring 123. The first touch detector 211 and the second touchdetector 213 may detect a touch event for the sensing electrode 120.

Referring to FIG. 3, an insulation layer 130 is formed on the basesubstrate 110 on which the sensing electrode 120, the first connectionwiring 121, and the second connection wiring 123 are formed.

The insulation layer 130 may cover the sensing electrode 120, the firstconnection wiring 121, and the second connection wiring 123. In otherwords, the sensing electrode 120, the first connection wiring 121 andthe second connection wiring 123 may not be exposed and may be insulatedby the insulation layer 130. The insulation layer 130 may prevent thesensing electrode 120, the first connection wiring 121, and the secondconnection wiring 123 from corroding or otherwise being damaged.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 130 may include aninorganic insulating material. For example, the insulation layer 130 mayinclude silicon oxide (SiOA silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), or the like. Forexample, the insulation layer 130 may include silicon oxide (SiO_(x))and may have a thickness of about 500 Å. In addition, the insulationlayer 130 may include a plurality of layers, each of which includes amaterial different from that of the other layers.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a drivingcircuit included in a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the touch displayapparatus taken along line of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, and 10, a touch display apparatus according toan exemplary embodiment includes a touch sensing unit 1100 and a drivingcircuit 1200.

The touch sensing unit 1100 includes a base substrate 1110, a pluralityof sensing electrodes 1120, and a plurality of connection wirings 1121.

The base substrate 1110 may include a transparent inorganic material ora flexible plastic. For example, the base substrate 1110 may include aglass substrate, a quartz substrate, a transparent resin substrateincluding transparent resin, or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, a polyimide substrate may be an example ofthe transparent resin substrate that is used as the base substrate 1110.For example, the polyimide substrate may include a first polyimidelayer, a barrier film layer, and a second polyimide layer that aresequentially stacked.

The sensing electrodes 1120 may include a transparent conductivematerial. For example, the plurality of sensing electrodes 1120 mayinclude indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Inanother example, the plurality of sensing electrodes 1120 may includetitanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

The sensing electrodes 1120 may be disposed on the base substrate 1110.The sensing electrodes 1120 may be arranged in a matrix form, and mayhave a single-layered structure. In other words, the sensing electrodes1120 may be arranged in rows (e.g., in a first direction D1) and columns(e.g., in a second direction D2), and may be disposed or formed in asingle layer.

In an exemplary embodiment, each sensing electrode 1120 may have arectangular shape. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each sensing electrode 1120 may have one of various shapes,e.g., polygonal, circular, etc.

The connection wirings 1121 may be electrically connected to the sensingelectrodes 1120. Each of the connection wirings 1121 may be electricallyconnected to one side (e.g., a left side or a right side) of arespective one of the sensing electrodes 1120. Some portions of eachconnection wiring 1121 may extend in the first direction D1, and theother portions of each connection wiring 1121 may extend in the seconddirection D2 crossing (e.g., substantially perpendicular to) the firstdirection D1. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a portion ofeach connection wiring 1121 may extend in the second direction D2 thatis substantially parallel with the columns of the sensing electrodes1120. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and eachconnection wiring 1121 may extend in any direction.

Sensing electrodes disposed in the same column may be divided into aplurality of electrode groups, and each of the electrode groups mayinclude at least one sensing electrode 1120. For example, in anexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, each electrode group may includeone sensing electrode. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each electrode group may include any number of sensingelectrodes.

In an exemplary embodiment, connection wirings connected to odd-numberedelectrode groups may be located at or adjacent to a first side (e.g., aleft side) of the sensing electrodes, and connection wirings connectedto even-numbered electrode groups may be located at or adjacent to asecond side (e.g., a right side) of the sensing electrodes. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, connection wirings connected to first, third andfifth electrode groups that are arranged at first, third and fifth rowsmay be located at a left side of the sensing electrodes 1120, andconnection wirings connected to second, fourth and sixth electrodegroups that are arranged at second, fourth and sixth rows may be locatedat a right side of the sensing electrodes 1120.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, sensing electrodes disposedin the same column may be alternately connected to first connectionwirings at a left side with respect to the column and second connectionwirings at a right side with respect to the column, by a unit of asingle sensing electrode. Accordingly, the connection wirings 1121 maybe arranged with a relatively low degree of integration, defects in theconnection wirings 1121 may be prevented, and thus, the touch displayapparatus according to exemplary embodiments may have relativelyimproved performance.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 1121 may include thesame material as that of the sensing electrodes 1120. For example, theconnection wirings 1121 may include a transparent conductive material,such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Inanother example, the connection wirings 1121 may include titanium (Ti),molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 1121 may include amaterial different from that of the sensing electrodes 1120. Forexample, the connection wirings 1121 may include a relativelylow-resistance metallic material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag),titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 1121 may be disposedon the same layer as that on which the sensing electrodes 1120 aredisposed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, andthe connection wirings 1121 may be disposed on a layer different fromthat on which the sensing electrodes 1120 are disposed.

The plurality of connection wirings 1121 may be electrically connectedto a touch detector 1210.

An insulation layer 1130 may be disposed on the base substrate 1110 onwhich the sensing electrodes 1120 and the connection wirings 1121 aredisposed.

The insulation layer 1130 may cover the sensing electrodes 1120 and theconnection wirings 1121. In other words, the sensing electrodes 1120 andthe connection wirings 1121 may not be exposed, and may be insulated bythe insulation layer 1130. The insulation layer 1130 may prevent thesensing electrodes 1120 and the connection wirings 1121 from beingdamaged or corroded.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 1130 may include aninorganic insulating material. For example, the insulation layer 1130may include silicon oxide (SiO_(x)), silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), or thelike. For example, the insulation layer 1130 may include silicon oxide(SiO_(x)) and may have a thickness of about 500 Å. In addition, theinsulation layer 1130 may include a plurality of layers, each of whichincludes a material different from that of the other layers.

The driving circuit 1200 may include the touch detector 1210, a touchinformation generator 1220, a memory 1230, and a controller 1240.

The touch detector 1210 detects a touch event for the sensing electrodes1120 (e.g., detect whether the touch sensing unit 1100 is contacted by acontact object, such as a user's finger, stylus pen, etc.) based on achange in capacitance caused by the touch event.

The touch information generator 1220 may generate information associatedwith the touch event for the sensing electrodes 1120. The touchinformation generator 1220 may process, handle, or treat informationstored in the memory 1230 to generate desired information including atouch detection, a touch region, a touch location, etc.

The memory 1230 may store the information provided from the touchinformation generator 1220. The memory 1230 may store informationprovided from the touch detector 1210. In addition, the memory 1230 maystore predetermined data for calculating the touch detection, the touchregion, the touch location, etc., or data received in real-time.

The controller 1240 may control the touch detector 1210 and the touchinformation generator 1220. For example, the controller 1240 may includea micro control unit (MCU) and may perform a predetermined signalprocessing based on a firmware.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment includes a touch sensing unit 2100 and a driving circuit2200.

The touch sensing unit 2100 may include a base substrate, a plurality ofsensing electrodes 2120 and a plurality of connection wirings 2121.

The base substrate may include a transparent inorganic material or aflexible plastic. For example, the base substrate may include a glasssubstrate, a quartz substrate, a transparent resin substrate includingtransparent resin, or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, an example of a transparent resin substratethat may be used as the base substrate is a polyimide substrate. Forexample, the polyimide substrate may include a first polyimide layer, abarrier film layer, and a second polyimide layer that are sequentiallystacked.

The sensing electrodes 2120 may include a transparent conductivematerial. For example, the sensing electrodes 2120 may include indiumtin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. In anotherexample, the sensing electrodes 2120 may include titanium (Ti),molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

The sensing electrodes 2120 may be disposed on the base substrate. Thesensing electrodes 2120 may be arranged in a matrix form, and may have asingle-layered structure. In other words, the sensing electrodes 2120may be arranged in rows (e.g., in a first direction D1) and columns(e.g., in a second direction D2), and may be disposed or formed in asingle layer.

In an exemplary embodiment, each sensing electrode 2120 may have arectangular shape. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each sensing electrode 2120 may have one of various shapes,e.g., polygonal, circular, etc.

The connection wirings 2121 may be electrically connected to the sensingelectrodes 2120. Each of the connection wirings 2121 may be electricallyconnected to one side (e.g., a left side or a right side) of arespective one of the sensing electrodes 2120. Some portions of eachconnection wiring 2121 may extend in the first direction D1, and theother portions of each connection wiring 2121 may extend in the seconddirection D2 crossing (e.g., substantially perpendicular to) the firstdirection D1. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a portion ofeach connection wiring 2121 may extend in the second direction D2 thatis substantially in parallel with the columns of the sensing electrodes2120. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and eachconnection wiring 2121 may extend in any direction.

Sensing electrodes disposed in the same column may be divided into aplurality of electrode groups, and each of the electrode groups mayinclude at least one sensing electrode 2120. For example, in anexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 8, each electrode group may includetwo sensing electrodes. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each electrode group may include any number of sensingelectrodes.

In an exemplary embodiment, connection wirings connected to odd-numberedelectrode groups may be located at or adjacent to a first side (e.g., aleft side) of the sensing electrodes, and connection wirings connectedto even-numbered electrode groups may be located at or adjacent to asecond side (e.g., a right side) of the sensing electrodes. Asillustrated in FIG. 8, connection wirings connected to first and thirdelectrode groups that are arranged at first, second, fifth, and sixthrows may be located at a left side of the sensing electrodes 2120, andconnection wirings connected to a second electrode group that arearranged at third and fourth rows may be located at a right side of thesensing electrodes 2120.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 8, sensing electrodes disposedin the same column may be alternately connected to first connectionwirings at a left side with respect to the column and second connectionwirings at a right side with respect to the column, by a unit of twosensing electrodes. Accordingly, the connection wirings 2121 may bearranged with a relatively low degree of integration, defects on theplurality of connection wirings 2121 may be prevented, and thus, thetouch display apparatus according to exemplary embodiments may haverelatively improved performance.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 2121 may include thesame material as that of the sensing electrodes 2120. For example, theconnection wirings 2121 may include a transparent conductive material,such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Inanother example, the connection wirings 2121 may include titanium (Ti),molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 2121 may include amaterial different from that of the sensing electrodes 2120. Forexample, the connection wirings 2121 may include a relativelylow-resistance metallic material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag),titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 2121 may be disposedon the same layer as that on which the sensing electrodes 2120 aredisposed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, andthe connection wirings 2121 may be disposed on a layer different fromthat on which the sensing electrodes 2120 are disposed.

The connection wirings 2121 may be electrically connected to a touchdetector 2210 included in the driving circuit 2200.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a touch display apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment includes a touch sensing unit 3100 and a driving circuit3200.

The touch sensing unit 3100 may include a base substrate, a plurality ofsensing electrodes 3120, and a plurality of connection wirings 3121.

The base substrate may include a transparent inorganic material or aflexible plastic. For example, the base substrate may include a glasssubstrate, a quartz substrate, a transparent resin substrate includingtransparent resin, or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, an example of the transparent resinsubstrate that is used as the base substrate may be a polyimidesubstrate. For example, the polyimide substrate may include a firstpolyimide layer, a barrier film layer and a second polyimide layer thatare sequentially stacked.

The sensing electrodes 3120 may include a transparent conductivematerial. For example, the sensing electrodes 3120 may include indiumtin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. In anotherexample, the sensing electrodes 3120 may include titanium (Ti),molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

The sensing electrodes 3120 may be disposed on the base substrate. Thesensing electrodes 3120 may be arranged in a matrix form, and may have asingle-layered structure. In other words, the sensing electrodes 3120may be arranged in rows (e.g., in a first direction D1) and columns(e.g., in a second direction D2), and may be disposed or formed in asingle layer.

In an exemplary embodiment, each sensing electrode 3120 may have arectangular shape. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each sensing electrode 3120 may have one of various shapes,e.g., polygonal, circular, etc.

The connection wirings 3121 are electrically connected to the sensingelectrodes 3120. Each of the connection wirings 3121 may be electricallyconnected to one side (e.g., a left side or a right side) of arespective one of the sensing electrodes 3120. Some portions of eachconnection wiring 3121 may extend in the first direction D1, and theother portions of each connection wiring 3121 may extend in the seconddirection D2 crossing (e.g., substantially perpendicular to) the firstdirection D1. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a portion ofeach connection wiring 3121 may extend in the second direction D2 thatis substantially parallel with the columns of the sensing electrodes3120. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and eachconnection wiring 3121 may extend in any direction.

Sensing electrodes disposed in the same column may be divided into aplurality of electrode groups, and each of the electrode groups mayinclude at least one sensing electrode 3120. For example, in anexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9, each electrode group may includethree sensing electrodes. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto, and each electrode group may include any number of sensingelectrodes.

In an exemplary embodiment, connection wirings connected to odd-numberedelectrode groups may be located at or adjacent to a first side (e.g., aleft side) of the sensing electrodes, and connection wirings connectedto even-numbered electrode groups may be located at or adjacent to asecond side (e.g., a right side) of the sensing electrodes. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, connection wirings connected to a first electrodegroup that are arranged at first, second, and third rows may be locatedat a left side of the sensing electrodes 3120, and connection wiringsconnected to a second electrode group that are arranged at fourth,fifth, and sixth rows may be located at a right side of the plurality ofsensing electrodes 3120.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in f FIG. 9, sensing electrodesdisposed in the same column may be alternately connected to firstconnection wirings at a left side with respect to the column and secondconnection wirings at a right side with respect to the column, by a unitof three sensing electrodes. Accordingly, the connection wirings 3121may be arranged with a relatively low degree of integration, defects inthe connection wirings 3121 may be prevented, and thus, the touchdisplay apparatus according to exemplary embodiments may have relativelyimproved performance.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 3121 may include thesame material as that of the sensing electrodes 3120. For example, theconnection wirings 3121 may include a transparent conductive material,such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Inanother example, the connection wirings 3121 may include titanium (Ti),molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 3121 may include amaterial different from that of the sensing electrodes 3120. Forexample, the connection wirings 3121 may include a relativelylow-resistance metallic material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag),titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wirings 3121 may be disposedon the same layer as that on which the sensing electrodes 3120 aredisposed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, andthe connection wirings 3121 may be disposed on a layer different fromthat on which the sensing electrodes 3120 are disposed.

The connection wirings 3121 are electrically connected to a touchdetector 3210 included in the driving circuit 3200.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views for describing a method ofmanufacturing a touch display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 11, a sensing electrode layer 1120 a is formed on abase substrate 1110.

In an exemplary embodiment, the sensing electrode layer 1120 a mayinclude a transparent conductive material. For example, the sensingelectrode layer 1120 a may include indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zincoxide (IZO), or the like. In another example, the sensing electrodelayer 1120 a may include titanium (Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), orthe like.

Referring to FIG. 12, a sensing electrode 1120 and a connection wiring1121 are formed by patterning the sensing electrode layer 1120 a.

The sensing electrode 1120 may include a transparent conductivematerial. For example, the sensing electrode 1120 may include indium tinoxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. In another example,the sensing electrode 1120 may include titanium (Ti), molybdenumtitanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connection wiring 1121 may include thesame material as that of the sensing electrode 1120. For example, theconnection wiring 1121 may include a transparent conductive material,such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Inanother example, the first connection wiring 1121 may include titanium(Ti), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first connection wiring 1121 may bedisposed on the same layer as that on which the sensing electrode 1120is disposed.

Referring to FIG. 6, a touch detector 1210 is formed. The touch detector1210 is electrically connected to the first connection wiring 1121 anddetects a touch event for the sensing electrode 1120.

Referring to FIG. 10, an insulation layer 1130 is formed on the basesubstrate 1110 on which the sensing electrode 1120 and the connectionwiring 1121 are formed.

According to exemplary embodiments described above with reference toFIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, a touch display apparatus may include a firstconnection wiring, a second connection wiring, a first touch detectorand a second touch detector that are connected to a single sensingelectrode. The second connection wiring and the second touch detectormay be auxiliary elements and may operate only when at least one of thefirst connection wiring and the first touch detector has a defect.Accordingly, a malfunction of the touch display apparatus may beprevented, and the touch display apparatus may have relatively improvedperformance.

According to exemplary embodiments described above with reference toFIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, a touch display apparatus includes aplurality of sensing electrodes and a plurality of connection wirings,and sensing electrodes disposed in the same column may be alternatelyconnected to first connection wirings at a first side (e.g., a leftside) with respect to the column and second connection wirings at asecond side (e.g., a right side) with respect to the column, by a unitof at least one sensing electrode. Accordingly, the connection wiringsmay be arranged with a relatively low degree of integration, defects onthe plurality of connection wirings may be prevented, and thus, thetouch display apparatus may have improved performance.

The driving circuit 200 and/or one or more components thereof, may beimplemented via one or more general purpose and/or special purposecomponents, such as one or more discrete circuits, digital signalprocessing chips, integrated circuits, application specific integratedcircuits, microprocessors, processors, programmable arrays, fieldprogrammable arrays, instruction set processors, and/or the like. Inthis manner, the features, functions, processes, etc., described hereinmay be implemented via software, hardware (e.g., general processor,digital signal processing (DSP) chip, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware,or a combination thereof. As such, driving circuit 200 and/or one ormore components thereof may include or otherwise be associated with oneor more memories (not shown) including code (e.g., instructions)configured to cause the driving circuit 200 and/or one or morecomponents thereof to perform one or more of the features, functions,processes, etc., described herein.

The memories may be any medium that participates in providing code tothe one or more software, hardware, and/or firmware components forexecution. Such memories may be implemented in any suitable form,including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, andtransmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks. Volatile media include dynamic memory. Transmissionmedia include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, optical, orelectromagnetic waves. Common forms of computer-readable media include,for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape,any other magnetic medium, a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), arewriteable compact disk (CDRW), a digital video disk (DVD), arewriteable DVD (DVD-RW), any other optical medium, punch cards, papertape, optical mark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns ofholes or other optically recognizable indicia, a random-access memory(RAM), a programmable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip orcartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which informationmay be read by, for example, a controller/processor.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limitedto such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presentedclaims and various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A touch display apparatus comprising: a basesubstrate; a plurality of sensing electrodes on the base substratearranged in a first direction; a plurality of connection wiringsextending in the first direction, each of the connection wirings beingelectrically connected to a respective one of the sensing electrodes;and a touch detector electrically connected to the plurality ofconnection wirings, wherein: the touch detector is configured to detecta touch event for the sensing electrodes; the sensing electrodes aredivided into a plurality of electrode groups, each of which includes atleast one of the sensing electrodes; connection wirings connected toodd-numbered electrode groups are located at a first side of the sensingelectrodes; and connection wirings connected to even-numbered electrodegroups are located at a second side of the sensing electrodes.
 2. Thetouch display apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the electrode groupsincludes two sensing electrodes.
 3. The touch display apparatus of claim1, wherein each of the electrode groups includes three sensingelectrodes.
 4. The touch display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theconnection wirings are disposed on a same layer as the sensingelectrodes.
 5. The touch display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theconnection wirings and the sensing electrodes comprise a same material.6. The touch display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensingelectrodes comprise a transparent conductive material.
 7. The touchdisplay apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor configuredto generate information associated with the touch event to control thetouch detector and the touch information generator.
 8. A method ofmanufacturing a touch display apparatus, the method comprising: forminga sensing electrode, a first connection wiring, and a second connectionwiring on a base substrate, wherein the first connection wiring iselectrically connected to the sensing electrode and the secondconnection wiring is electrically connected to the sensing electrode;forming a first touch detector electrically connected to the firstconnection wiring and a second touch detector electrically connected tothe second connection wiring, wherein the first and second touchdetectors are configured to detect a touch event for the sensingelectrode; and forming an insulation layer on the base substrate onwhich the sensing electrode, the first connection wiring, and the secondconnection wiring are formed.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein thesecond connection wiring and the second touch detector are configured tooperate only when at least one of the first connection wiring and thefirst touch detector has a defect.
 10. The method of claim 8, whereinthe first connection wiring and the second connection wiring aredisposed on a same layer as the sensing electrode.
 11. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the first connection wiring, the second connectionwiring, and the sensing electrode comprise a same material.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the insulation layer comprises silicon oxide(SiO_(x)) or silicon nitride (SiN_(x)).